Last week, a South Carolina grand jury hit a man with serious charges after he was caught re-entering the U.S. illegally. This comes after a December drunk-driving arrest that exposed a troubling past.
Meet Sergio Ixtepan-Toto, a 36-year-old man with a criminal history that dates back years. On December 6, 2024, he was pulled over by police in Pickens, South Carolina after nearly causing an accident. When an officer tried to stop him, Ixtepan-Toto ignored a stop sign and continued driving, only to be trapped in a parking lot by police.
During the stop, things didn’t look good. Ixtepan-Toto failed a field sobriety test, and officers found several open beer cans in his car. An ID from Mexico was also found on him, raising concerns about his immigration status.
He was let go on local charges but was quickly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on December 9. Turns out, Ixtepan-Toto had been deported three times before—once in 2020, then again in 2022, and most recently in February 2024.
In an affidavit, officials confirmed there was no record of Ixtepan-Toto being allowed to reapply for entry into the U.S. after his deportations.
Further digging revealed that his criminal record stretches back to 2008, with offenses including speeding, driving without a license, domestic violence, indecent exposure, and multiple DUI arrests.
This ongoing saga is a stark reminder of the challenges that authorities face when dealing with repeat offenders in the country.
